USC Signing Day 2019: LOI tracker, live blog and open thread

USC Signing Day 2019 is officially here as the Trojans look to close out the recruiting cycle by filling in holes on the roster.

It’s finally the time for USC football to finish up the 2019 recruiting cycle.

USC Signing Day 2019 has a different feel than usual. That’s in part because of the Early Signing Period, which saw 19 new Trojans sign their letters of intent already. The normal flurry of faxes will be a bit smaller than year’s past.

LOI Tracker | Big Board | Twitter

But it’s also because USC’s recruiting efforts in 2019 have been more muted than normal as well. The Trojans entered Wednesday ranked No. 18 in the 247Sports composite team rankings. With few highly-touted recruits still on the board, the opportunity to close strong in the rankings is limited.

RELATED: USC’s 10 Biggest Signing Day Pick Ups of the Last Decade

It is almost certain USC will end the streak of five consecutive Top 10 recruiting classes in 2019.

Even so, the Trojans still have work to do, looking to load up on players at positions of need.

Keep up to day as Signing Day unfolds here on Reign of Troy or with RoT’s mobile app, which can be found in the Apple App Store or Google Play for Android devices.

USC Early Signing Day Live Blog

5:25 p.m.: As expected, Dawand Jones announced his commitment to Ohio State.

Of course, USC’s Signing Day was already officially ended when Clay Helton held his Signing Day press conference, announcing 26 total signees for 2019.

1:40 p.m.: It sure sounds like Clay Helton and company are done recruiting. The head coach tweeted a graphic featuring USC’s seven signees, welcoming them to the Trojan Family.

1:35 p.m.: Washington landed the commitment of four-star linebacker Daniel Heimuli, leapfrogging their class rank ahead of USC’s. The Trojans now rank No. 18 nationally and third in the Pac-12 with it looking increasingly likely there will be no more additions.

12:00 p.m.: Along with scholarship punter Ben Griffiths, USC is bringing in another punter in St. John Bosco’s Will Rose.

11:45 a.m.: Another whiff for the Trojans. Three-star offensive tackle Hunter Hill has picked Utah State over USC. Read more>>

11:40 a.m.: Four-star running back Keilan Robinson is sticking with his commitment to Alabama. He had officially visited USC late in the process but the impression of Los Angeles wasn’t enough to pull him away from the Tide.

10:15 a.m.: Checking in on the 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings, USC is up to No. 17 nationally and No. 2 in the Pac-12. However, that edge may be short lived as the Trojans are ahead by decimal points. If Washington flips the commitment of Puka Nacua, USC will likely finish third in the conference.

10:05 a.m.: The official word on Tuasivi Nomura just came down the pipe. He is USC’s seventh signee of the day.

Puka Nacua is the only unsigned commit USC has on the board, and he will not be signing today.

Seven signees means Eric Ziskin’s emoji hints of 27 LOIs are all accounted for.

If Ziskin’s Fight On! emojis don’t count the LOI sent in by Bru McCoy this December, however, there could be another name not yet added to the list.

The Trojans are still waiting on announcements from targets like Keilan Robinson, Hunter Hill and Dawand Jones, though they are not the favorites to land any of those three.

10:00 a.m.: Kaulana Makaula becomes USC’s sixth official signing of the day. Read more>>

9:51 a.m.: Unfortunately, USC has failed in their pursuit of four-star offensive guard Enokk Vimahi. The Hawaii-product picked Ohio State over USC and Oklahoma. Read more>>

9:50 a.m.: Signee No. 5 is official as USC announced the addition of three-star defensive back Jaylen Watson. Read more>>

9:25 a.m.: A fourth signee has been officially announced: Three-star safety Dorian Hewett.

9:20 a.m.: Some huge news out of Orem, Utah. USC commit Puka Nacua will not be signing on Wednesday, according to Amy Donaldson of the Deseret News.

“We need more time to break down the information and talk. We’ve been too busy and unable to find quality time,” his mother said, according to the report.

That doesn’t exactly bode well for the Trojans, who have now failed to lock Nacua in for the early or late signing days. On the other hand, if Nacua was seriously considering signing with Washington, Oregon or UCLA, then USC may have another shot to convince him of his place in Graham Harrell’s offense.

9:10 a.m.: Adonis Otey is officially a Trojan.

That’s three official signees on the day.

9:05 a.m.: Things are moving fast now, the Trojans have unofficially received a seventh LOI for the day.

That’s 27 in total for the class. Removing Bru McCoy’s from the equation, it would seem USC only has a couple spots left.

9:03 a.m.: Another one is official!

Jayden Williams is the second officially announced signee of the day.

9:00 a.m.: Make that five LOIs received by USC on Signing Day.

If you’re keeping track, the Trojans came into the day with six unsigned commits—Kyle Ford, Puka Nacua, Kaulana Makaula, Jaylen Watson, Dorian Hewett and Jayden Williams. They have since added two—Tuasivi Nomura and Adonis Otey.

Ford remains the only player who has been officially announced, but Williams and Nomura already had their signing ceremonies, as did Otey.

8:40 a.m.: LOI No. 5 for Signing Day has been received, per Eric Ziskin. That’s 25 in total.

8:30 a.m.: USC successfully flipped three-star cornerback Adonis Otey from Arkansas. Read more>>

8:25 a.m.: The Trojans have apparently received a fourth LOI, bringing the total up to 24.

Only Kyle Ford has been officially announced, but Jayden Williams also appears to have completed his signing.

8:15 a.m.: As expected, Tuasivi Nomura has decided to become a Trojan.

The three-star linebacker is USC’s third commit from Corona Centennial for 2019. Read more>>

8:05 a.m.: Three-star outside linebacker Tuasivi Nomura is slated to make his signing decision any moment now, but Gerard Martinez of USCFootball.com tweeted a picture that does more than hint at where Nomura sees his future.

7:45 a.m.: It’s official!

USC has signed four-star wide receiver Kyle Ford, the highest-ranked commit in the class for the Trojans.

Though there was worry over Ford defecting like Bru McCoy, the Orange Lutheran-product followed through and signed. Read more>>

7:35 a.m.: LOI No. 3 of Wednesday and No. 23 overall is in the bag.

7:15 a.m.: No official announcements from USC just yet (they tend to take awhile), but the LOIs are starting to trickle in.

Make that 22 total and two for Wednesday, by Eric Ziskin’s count.

7:10 a.m.: Here’s a little something to put a damper on your morning. Texas has officially announced the addition of Bru McCoy, who had been a USC signee and early enrollee before transferring in January.

(Sorry.)

7:00 a.m.: In case you missed it on Tuesday night, USC picked up two safety commitments on Signing Day Eve.

Three-star Houston-product Dorian Hewett was the first to jump on board. Read more>>

Not long after, three-star Centennial safety Jayden Williams made his pledge. Read more>>

6:45 a.m.: As is now traditional, USC director of recruiting Eric Ziskin opened Signing Day with a tweet hinting at the arrival of the first LOI of the day. Ziskin tweeted 21 Fight On! emojis, to symbolize the number of LOIs USC has received, though it is worth noting the 20th of those likely belonged to five-star athlete Bru McCoy, who has since transferred to Texas.

The Big Board:

Four-star RB Keilan Robinson

• Rank: 244th in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 5-foot-9, 184 lbs.
• Location: Washington, DC
• Status: SIGNED with Alabama
• Choices: Alabama, USC

Four-star WR Kyle Ford

• Rank: 38th in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-2, 212 lbs.
• Location: Orange, CA
• Status: SIGNED with USC
• Choices: USC, Oregon, Washington

Four-star WR Puka Nacua

• Rank: 124th in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-2, 190 lbs.
• Location: Orem, UT
• Status: Delayed announcement
• Choices: USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA

Four-star OG Enokk Vimahi

• Rank: 124th in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-4, 263 lbs.
• Location: Kahuku, HI
• Status: SIGNED with Ohio State
• Choices: USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma

Three-star OT Hunter Hill

• Rank: 1,132nd in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-6, 2275 lbs.
• Location: Orem, UT
• Status: SIGNED with Utah State
• Choices: USC, Washington State, Utah State

Four-star OT Dawand Jones

• Rank: 1,048th in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-8, 360 lbs.
• Location: Indianapolis, IN
• Status: SIGNED with Ohio State
• Choices: USC, Ohio State, Florida, Indiana, Penn State

Three-star OLB Tuasivi Nomura

• Rank: 763rd in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 6-foot-1, 210 lbs.
• Location: Corona, CA
• Status: SIGNED with USC
• Choices: USC, UCLA, Louisville

Three-star CB Adonis Otey

• Rank: 531st in 247Sports Composite
• Size: 5-foot-11, 180 lbs.
• Location: Murfeesboro, TN
• Status: SIGNED with USC
• Choices: USC, Arkansas

USC Signing Day Signees (7):

Current Unsigned USC Commitments (1):

USC Early Signing Day Signees (19):